Page 2: Hypable selects the best movies of 2013.
To send out the year with a bang, we asked several members of the Hypable staff to share their favorite film of 2013. Their answers were as varied as the staff themselves, so odds are one of your favorite films made the list too.
For each film we explain why it was our top pick and avoided repeats. We’d love to hear which film is your favorite in the comments, and don’t forget to vote in the 2013 Hypable Awards to tell us which fandoms were the best of 2013!
Kristina Lintz – ‘This is the End’
On the surface, This is the End looks like another stupid apocalypse film, boasting an all-star cast, and while it is silly and ridiculous, it’s also one of the strangely funniest films to come out this year. There was a no-holds back approach to the story – Emma Watson busting into James Franco’s barricaded house to steal some food? Sure. Channing Tatum in a cameo performance as Danny McBride’s leathered-up sex slave? Why not. The Backstreet Boys preforming in heaven when Jay Baruchel is the last of his friends to die in the apocalypse? The final moment in a snowballing hysterical finale that had us rolling with laughter. The cast acts as exaggerated versions of themselves, and it is evident that they all enjoyed making this film, which makes it that much more enjoyable for the viewers.
Karen Rought – ‘Iron Man 3’
The greatest thing about Iron Man 3 wasn’t the spectacular effects or the twist that no one saw coming, it was the development we saw in Tony’s character. It was amazing to finally see the human beneath the superhero. Stripped of his confidence after the events in New York, for the first time we really got to see what Tony Stark was made of. He had to rely on his wits instead of his technology, all to save the one person in the world that he cares more about than himself. A story like this was a long time in the making, and it was even more rewarding because of it.
Mitchel Clow – ‘Side Effects’
Side Effects took what you expected after seeing its sister movie Contagion, and flipped that expectation on its head. Rooney Mara plays an intricate doe-eyed and chronically depressed Emily, remolding everything you’d perceived about the actress from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. On top of Mara’s phenomenal performance, the plot of Side Effects grabs you, strokes your soul for a bit, and then proceeds to violently shake you for the remaining 60 minutes. Do yourself a favor, and don’t miss what is arguably 2013’s best mystery-thriller.
Kristen Kranz – ‘Rush’
Rush tells the story of Formula One racers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Nikki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) and outlines their lives as men in the racing community in the midst of their heated rivalry throughout the 1976 season. While the racing in this movie is superb, the real story lies in the race these men run off the track. Their lives could not be more different, but their goal is the same. They both understand risk, but decide it differently. Lauda is calculating and precise in his every move, whereas Hunt relies on his guy instincts to keep him alive. This thrilling biopic of two men that lead drastically different lives while working the same tracks week in and week out will stun you. The performances from this cast keep you invested in the true story unfolding on screen. If you didn’t get a chance to catch Rush in theaters, I highly recommend checking it out when it hits DVD and Blu-ray in January 2014. You won’t be disappointed.
Ariana Quiñónez – ‘Instructions Not Included’
Written and directed by the Mexican comedy star Eugenio Derbez, Instructions Not Included is a heartbreakingly hilarious film starring Derbez as Valentín, an Acapulco playboy forced to assume responsibility of his American daughter when she is left on his doorstep. Loreto Peralta is flawless as Valentin’s spunky blonde and blue-eyed daughter, Maggie. Her comedic timing rivals Derbez, and her shockingly perfect Spanish and English reminds us that there is an entire subsection of America that glides between two cultural worlds. A bilingual film requiring subtitles for both English and Spanish-speaking audiences, Instructions Not Included shattered box office records in the United States and Mexico by giving an underserved community exactly what it wanted: to laugh, to cry, to embrace love, life, and familia.
Natalie Fisher – ‘About Time’
Confusion would be a valid response upon hearing that the latest project from Richard Curtis – the beloved writer/director of Notting Hill, Love Actually, and Four Weddings and a Funeral – is a film about time travel. But About Time is a masterpiece, ticking every box for a perfect Curtis romantic comedy – love, death, family, a focus on the little things in life, a dopey leading man, and beautiful on-location English scenery – with the fantastical element hardly seeming out of place at all. When Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) learns from his father (Bill Nighy) that the men in their family have the ability to travel back in time, his life is, understandably, somewhat changed. After a few do-overs, he gets together with Mary (Rachel McAdams) and learns how best to use his unique ability to help himself and his loved ones. About Time is one for the ages – an indescribably beautiful and surprisingly realistic look at this science-fiction concept, and it may just be Curtis’s best film yet.
Marama Whyte – ‘Kill Your Darlings’
Kill Your Darlings is a hugely engaging vehicle for a standout cast. This is Daniel Radcliffe in his best post-Potter role to date, as hopeful poet Allen Ginsberg. However, it is Dane DeHaan who steals the movie, with a mesmerising performance as Ginsberg’s college friend, Lucien Carr. The poetry that was so tied to the Beat generation (which included Ginsberg, Carr and their friends Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs) is cleverly reflected in the script, which avoids the pretention it could so easily drift into. Even better, the film maintains its aesthetic and direction while remaining largely factual – a rare feat in the plethora of films “based on a true story.”
Harry the Hypable Hippo – ‘Monsters University’
Monsters University was easily the best movie this year, but do you know what would have made it better? ME. I don’t know if I’m really supposed to talk about this or not, but I was originally in the movie. I mean, I didn’t even know that Pixar had cut me out until I saw the film on opening night for myself. There I was, sitting with my brothers Larry, Jerry, Terry, and Gary, and my sisters Mary, Carey, and Elizabeth, and before I knew it the whole movie was over and they had cut my scenes out! But, as you know, hippos don’t hold grudges. Even though I would have made it better, it’s still the best movie of the year.
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